RancheroSteve

Got some paint on the interior parts:

There's a Mickey Thompson figure (wearing his leather suit) in the latest issue of the Challenger I.

Wow, challenging! Watching with interest.

Making a little progress - I've finalized the engine bay: The shock tower brace is a combination of the Comet kit part and the Mustang, so my Comet uses Mustang upper shock mounts - a modification that actually works in the real world. Was it all worth it? Who knows, but fun trying. On to the next steps - hopefully more straightforward from here on.

Oh, it makes sense to me now! I always wondered why those radiators inlets were like that - the Hasegawa 962 inlets are much better.

Here's a story about a '63 Falcon that competed in TransAm. Interesting to note that it also ran (and still runs) steel wheels. http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-0807-63-ford-falcon/

Both are great, of course! I think the steel wheels are more period correct (as you say), but most contemporary vintage racers probably use the Americans. Possibly a rules thing?

Sounds like a reasonable plan!

I like to consider myself fairly knowledgeable about these cars and I've never quite figured it out myself! Original Shelby GT-350Rs don't show anything in this area - I think any blow-by just vented from the caps, but it appears some more current vintage racers use the the space for an oil breather/puke tank. A quick collage I just threw together; the more original engine compartment is on the left.

I guess you just need to buy kits of the right vintage that have been stored under "special" conditions.

Sounds like some guys don't want to get their fancy 1:1 cars wet. It's drizzling now!

Oh yes, I've watching & enjoying it with great interest from the start - my kind of project, for sure! Time's been a little tight one way and another for the past few weeks - the run-up to GSL (this past weekend) and some family issues have kept me busier than usual. Trying to get back to some building myself.

Where did that air cleaner (the one on the engine) come from?

That's what I thought of, too - saw those things race several times with Tommy Kendall driving. Now that would be a cool project!

No attempt to be comprehensive here - just a few things that caught my eye: GSL XXVI album And always tough to choose, but a few favorites: Vince LoBosco's Maserati Mike English's Honda Art Laski's Mongoose

Looking forward to seeing it in person! (We're getting there tonight).

Thanks for following along. My model building has had to take a bit of a back seat to some real life stuff in the last couple of months, but I'm hoping to have a small update on this one soon.

The International Model Car Builders' Museum is honored to announce that famed custom car builder and one-time Monogram Models, Inc. Custom Car Consultant Darryl Starbird and his wife Donna, will be attending the Championship. Darryl will be presenting a seminar Thursday night (April 27) on his experiences with Monogram, which issued models of the cars that he built both for the model company and for himself: Big T, Big Deuce, Predicta, Ultra Truck (renamed Orange Hauler in kit form) and other vehicles. Darryl will be interviewed by Mark S. Gustavson who, years ago interviewed Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Budd "The Kat" Anderson. Video and transcriptions of those interviews are archived in the International Model Car Builders' Museum. The GSL News page will be updated this weekend to provide full details concerning the Starbirds at GSL. Also note that The Predicta Project will present a seminar on Friday morning at GSL-XXVI. All persons, including the media, interested in more information on the Starbird's attendance at GSL-XXVI are asked to contact Mark S. Gustavson at msgsl@xmission.com with "Starbird" in the subject line.

Great idea and excellent work so far!

I'm loving this one, JC! I wasn't aware of the discrepancy over the blue colors - I had always assumed Shelby's "Viking Blue" was the same as Ford's, which is the color that my '63 Ranchero was when it came from the factory. It was (badly) repainted by the time I got it, but a few chips of the original Viking Blue present themselves from time to time.

Ha, I stand corrected! Maybe I should have said "well replicated"?

I'm not sure what car the Gunze kit is based on, but I built mine as #CSX2299: I think it's pretty safe to say that no model has replicated #CSX2287 (the first coupe).

Yes, a few - here's my Fotki album of my Dad's shots, taken with some 35mm rangefinder he had. We made a few trips out to that track - it was quite the place! https://public.fotki.com/Roullier/auto_racing/bridgehampton/

Awesome job, JC! You really got the look and the details right.

Just realized that I saw him race on both two and four wheels - at the Isle of Man in 1956 (before I was old enough to remember) and at the Bridgehampton Can-Am in 1966. Rest in peace.